NYC or BUST!

Tomorrow, Mac and I fly with my mom to meet my sister and her family in NYC. We have a fun-filled few days planned. We're going to the parade, the Botanical Gardens to see the train display, the Museum of Natural History, the Rockettes, hopefully the Statue of Liberty, Serendipity 3 for frozen hot chocolates, Tavern on the Green for Thanksgiving dinner, and much, much more.

Sadly Mac's knowledge of NYC is based solely on what he's seen in the movies. He knows Grand Central Station is the train station in "Madagascar". And he knows the Museum of Natural History is from "Night at the Museum". Clearly his appreciation for pop culture is the one true direct link to his mother's DNA.

Anyway, while you're cooking your turkey on Thanksgiving morning and watching the parade, look for us. We'll be there among the other 15 million people who thought that would be a good idea.

And we're trying to get to the Today Show. If I see Matt, I'll give him a kiss from you!

the journey to CrazyLand

I have had a touch of sinus yuck for a couple days and woke up with full-blown sinus pressure today. I got Mac up and ready for school.

And drove him to school in my pajamas and bedroom slippers with a jacket thrown on top.

It's a slippery slope.

clarification on Jimmy's encounter with Madame Secretary

Okay, Jimmy was upset that I said he said she looked "tired". I told him that wasn't insulting at all. People say I look tired all the time and that's without my jetting all the way around the world to a war zone where I'm trying to restore peace and harmony. Goodness, if I had her job, they'd probably say I looked dead.

So just to clarify... Secretary of State Clinton didn't look tired in a pathetic, stay-at-home mother whose biggest decision is what to cook for dinner kind of way. She looked tired in an official Secretary of State who's trying to save the world sort of way. Not a harried housewife who stayed up too late watching Brothers & Sisters sort of way, but a I haven't gotten a good night's sleep in my own bed in a long time because I go to a full day of meetings every day in a different time zone kind of way.

Does that sound better?

Here's a photo of a brilliant and gorgeous and really refreshed Secretary of State with Jimmy and other people. Jimmy's got the big beard on the left side as you look at the photo.

fairly monumental day for Familia Story

JIMMY.... briefed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today on her trip to Afghanistan. He sat just across the table from her. He was close enough to touch her if he'd so dared. (He didn't so dare.) I, of course, asked all the questions you want to know, like...

did you get your photo taken with her (not that kind of meeting)

what was she wearing (a pantsuit)

I guessed, but what color (does it matter?)

how did she look (tired)

did she know you were a State Department employee (yes)

And for you Moncks Corner people reading this, he used Moncks Corner, SC in his briefing. She thought that was interesting enough to repeat the town name and write it down (along with a chuckle).


MAC.... got an invitation to his headmaster's house for lunch in two weeks for being a top Sally Foster seller. (They apparently didn't know that his mother is actually a top Sally Foster seller). Mac is thrilled because he LOVES this guy. I'm not sure how much interaction a first grader actually has with the headmaster, but he's made a huge impression.


SUSAN .... had lunch with her best friend Caroline AND found out she's one of a few lucky parents who get to go on the first grade field trip in a couple weeks to Middleton Gardens. She gets to be a bus chaperone and is already wondering how many minutes it takes to drive from Pinewood to Middleton.

CAN IT POSSIBLY GET ANY BETTER THAN ALL THIS?

this is it!

I took myself to see the Michael Jackson "This Is It" film the other day before its theater run ended.

Michael Jackson was the first big-time concert I ever attended. I was a 16 year-old exchange student in Australia and he was FAB-U-LOUS. His abilities as a performer are still memorable 22 years later. There was fire and cranes and fireworks and people dropping out of the sky. Really amazing now and even more so then.

Watching this movie made me appreciate his abilities more than ever. At the age of 50, he was every bit the performer and perfectionist he was 22 years ago.

Watching the movie also made me want to dance.

Except that I'm not a dancer. The only person who thinks I'm a great dancer is Mac.

Which made me think that maybe if I had a flashier wardrobe, I could dance better. But I'm not sure where to buy shiny, colorful pants like he wore in the film. I'm pretty sure they don't sell those at the Tanger Outlets.

And even if I had the pants, I wouldn't have the pivoting pelvic thing that he (and all his dancers for this show) had. And they definitely don't sell that at the Tanger Outlets.

Which made me realize that some people are dancers and some people are observers. And it's critical to know which one you are.

a P.S. on the birthday party

When I picked up Mac from school on Monday, I asked him if anybody said anything about the birthday party. He said "yes, they were all talking about it." I asked what their favorite part was.

The scavenger hunt?

The storyteller?

The s'mores?

The campfire?


Wrong on all counts.

It was that blasted chicken snake.

Next year, we do nothing but unleash a bunch of snakes around a hay ride wagon. No other entertainment needed.

Mac's birthday party

On Saturday, we had Mac's 7th birthday party at my mom's farm. The weather was spectacular. After a dreary week of cold, rainy days, we had 75 degrees and brilliant sun. Perfect farm party weather.

We had crafts;

... a scavenger hunt (winning team pictured below!);
... carrot cake;
... a hay ride (on which a chicken snake was spotted- we threw in "Animal Kingdom" just for extra excitement);
... a storyteller;
... and s'mores around the campfire.

We had a great time and hope our guests did, too. Mac told me it was his best birthday party ever.